Top 10 in 2013 – Sports

How does one take 365 days worth of sports and narrow it down to a top 10 list?

It’s not an easy task – especially in a year as action-packed as 2013.

This year, we’ve had good stories and we’ve had bad stories.

We’ve had deep playoff pushes and seasons that have fallen flat amidst expectations and unfortunately, scandal. We’ve also seen both new coaches come into the area and old coaches show themselves out of the area after decades of service.

Indeed 2013 was a banner year for sports.

Narrowing the list down to 10 wasn’t easy and proved to be quite the chore.

But with a lot to choose from, the task was accomplished. Here’s the Top 10 sports stories from the 2013 calendar year.

No. 10 Heisman Trophy quarterback booted from Manning Passing Academy

All of the sports media world ascended to Thibodaux this summer for the Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State University. The reason for the excitement was because the camp would mark the first public comments from Texas A&M Heisman Trophy quarterback Johnny Manziel, who had been engulfed in a tumultuous offseason loaded with scandal and behavioral misdeeds. Manziel spoke to reporters on Friday afternoon at the interview segment of the camp. But his stay in Thibodaux was short-lived, as Manziel was kicked out of Manning Camp the next day after showing up late to meetings. Manziel said he overslept due to sickness, and it was an innocent mistake. But multiple reports said the quarterback (who was under 21 at the time) was hungover and unable to be awoken. Photos of Manziel later surfaced online, showing the quarterback out in Thibodaux on Friday night. Manziel recovered from the offseason of public relations nightmares and led Texas A&M to a solid season. But the sophomore failed to repeat as Heisman Trophy winner.

No. 9 NBA franchise changes name to Pelicans, shakes up roster

The New Orleans Hornets are no more. After more than a decade in the city with their insect mascot, new team owner Tom Benson announced this year that the team would change its name in the 2013-14 season to the New Orleans Pelicans. At its mascot unveiling ceremony, Benson announced that the team would also change its colors from turquoise and white to a new color scheme based on dark blue, red and gold. With a new identity, the Pels also created a new team. In the 2013 offseason, New Orleans traded its first round draft pick for 2013 and 2014 to the Philadelphia 76ers for All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday. The Pels also used some of its free salary cap space to ink free agent guard Tyreke Evans to a multi-year deal. With the new pieces secured and shooting guard Eric Gordon’s return to health and Anthony Davis’ maturation, New Orleans has improved. The Pels have hovered around .500 throughout the season and appear to be a postseason contender.

No. 8 Vandebilt Catholic graduate leads SEC in scoring

A Vandebilt Catholic standout made a big splash in 2013 as a LSU junior women’s basketball standout. Former Lady Terriers’ standout Theresa Plaisance exploded onto the national scene in the 2012-13 college basketball season and firmly entrenched herself as one of the best college basketball players in America. As a junior with the Lady Tigers, Plaisance averaged a SEC-best 17.0 points per game. She also ranked 4th in the league in rebounding with just more than eight per game. Following the dominant season, Plaisance also thrived in the postseason, leading LSU to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Following her junior season, Plaisance represented Team USA and won a gold medal at the World University Games.for her efforts, she was named a Preseason All-American before the 2013-14 season. She currently has LSU off to one of its best starts in years. The Lady Tigers are ranked in the Top 25 and are among the favorites to win the Southeastern Conference.

No. 7 Galliano man joins NASCAR Nationwide Series

Galliano native Hal Martin burned the rubber with some of the best racers in the world in 2013. After agreeing in late 2012 to a contract to ride in NASCAR’s prestigious Nationwide Series, Martin ran 12 races on the circuit in 2013 and posted several solid finishes. In 12 starts, Martin finished in the Top 20 seven times, including two personal-best 23rd-place finishes – one at the Dollar General 200 and the other at the History 300. With a dozen Nationwide races under his belt, Martin is currently looking for a sponsorship deal that will allow him to hop back into the car full-time in the upcoming year. As it currently stands, Martin is currently the only Louisiana native to ride in the NASCAR Nationwide Series level. Because of his roots, Martin has earned the name ‘The Ragin’ Cajun’ among his peers. He is also one of the circuit’s most popular drivers.

No. 6 CCA parts ways with inaugural football coach

Veteran football coach Blyght Wunstell resigned as South Lafourche’s head football coach in 2009 so that he could accept an administrative position at Covenant Christian Academy in Houma. While at CCA, Wunstell started the Lions’ football program from the ground-up, building the team into a state champion in Louisiana’s Christian league. The team then took the next step up in competition and joined the LHSAA in 2012. Following a one-year probation period, the Lions were eligible for postseason play for the first time in 2013. The Lions responded in style, posting a 6-4 regular season, followed by a 39-7 thrashing of Madison Prep Academy in the opening round of the playoffs. But after losing in the second round to St. Mary, the school announced that it had mutually parted ways with Wunstell – the only coach CCA has ever known in football. Days after announcing Wunstell was gone, CCA hired assistant coach and former H.L.Bourgeois coach Randy Boquet to be his replacement. Boquet said he wanted to thank Boquet for getting CCA football on the right track toward the future. The new coach added that he hopes to lead CCA to more deep postseason pushes in his time with the school.

No. 5 Terrebonne star picked in MLB Draft by Arizona Diamondbacks

Terrebonne standout baseball player Justin Williams saw his dream come true this summer: he became a professional baseball player. After a decorated prep career with the Tigers, Williams was selected in the second round of the 2013 MLB Draft – the 52nd pick overall. The powerful local slugger negotiated with the team for a few days, but eventually came to terms on a multi-year deal that paid Williams a signing bonus that totaled just more than $1 million. In his first summer in professional ball, Williams thrived and quickly rose through the Diamondbacks’ system. By the time Williams had finished his first year in the minor leagues, he had risen past Rookie Ball and was playing in Single A. Williams said he will split his offseason between Houma and training throughout the country. The powerful slugger said he hopes to continue to rise through the ranks in 2014. Before signing in the professional ranks, Williams had signed a National Letter of Intent to continue his career with LSU. But once drafted, he chose the Diamondbacks over a collegiate career.

No. 4 Public and private schools split for prep football

The 2013 prep football season marked a new era in Louisiana prep sports history. At the LHSAA meetings this spring, principals throughout the state voted to create a system that would split the Louisiana prep football playoffs into separate brackets for select (private) and non-select (public) schools. Prior to the split, all Louisiana schools were pooled together based on enrollment numbers. Following the vote, coaches throughout the Tri-parish area criticized the decision because of the lack of details offered for how the split would work. Other coaches said having separated brackets would devalue the meaning of being a state champion. Original plans called for just two select divisions, one pooling Class 5A, 4A and 3A and another pooling Class 2A and 1A. But when the final decision was made, athletic directors agreed upon a nine-bracket playoff system that crowned a state champion for every select and non-select classification with 4A and 3A select schools being merged into a single bracket. Throughout the season, many coaches said they wished Louisiana’s system would have never changed. But barring a change in 2014, it appears that the split will continue into the future.

No. 3 Villavaso among several VCHS coaches fired at school

It was a tough year to be a coach at Vandebilt Catholic in Houma. Later in the list, we will detail the playoff scandal that forced the girls’ basketball team out of the playoffs and that led to longtime coach Kathy Luke’s ouster. But the school was also riddled with issues that led to changes within administration and the football and boys’ basketball programs. This past spring, the first domino fell when the school announced that it had fired boys’ basketball coach Henry Washington after he allegedly engaged in inappropriate text message conversations with a student. Neither the school, nor Washington have commented publicly on the incident. Months after Washington’s ouster, the school was left without an athletic director when Laury Dupont resigned after being arrested in Thibodaux on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Dupont’s resignation ended his tenure with the school. Prior to serving as AD, the long-time athletic figure was the school’s football coach. in Dupont’s absence, school principal James Reiss took over the AD position. He has since handed it over to softball coach Margaret Johnson on an interim basis. This past fall, the Vandebilt football team also was pulled into chaos when coach Brad Villavaso was replaced late in the regular season after he sent a series of text messages to former player Gage Corte. Without Villavaso, Vandebilt beat Ellender to close the season. But that win was vacated after the team played an ineligible player in the win. The search to find Villavaso’s replacement is ongoing.

No. 2 South Lafourche earns win after hacking scandal unfolded

Destrehan soundly beat South Lafourche on Oct. 25 in Galliano – the Wildcats’ 7th-straight win to open the 2013 season. But perhaps Destrehan looked too good in the victory. While watching film of the Wildcats’ victory over the Tarpons, South Lafourche coach Dennis Skains noticed something abnormal. While preparing for their powerful foe, South Lafourche put in a new offense based on a series of formation shifts from shotgun sets to more closed, run-based formations. Despite never having run the plays before, Skains said he noticed the Wildcats picking up on the shifts right away – sometimes even moving into position before even seeing where the Tarpons lined up. After an investigation, it was learned that Destrehan assistant coach Ryan Fournier had obtained a HUDL password from a former Tarpons played and had used it to access password-protected video of South Lafourche practices. After a week of investigation, the LHSAA ruled that Destrehan had to forfeit the win. The governing body also suspended Fournier for the rest of 2013 and four other coaches for the remainder of the regular season. Those same coaches and Fournier’s girlfriend were all given criminal summons for accessing the practice film. During questioning, Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office investigators said they all admitted to the wrongdoing and admitted to using the film to scheme against South Lafourche. The Wildcats reached the LHSAA Class 5A State Semifinals, but were ousted by eventual champion Acadiana.

No. 1 Vandebilt pulled from court in playoffs, Luke’s contract not renewed

It was a very wild scene in Hammond this past spring. After a back and forth legal battle throughout the week over the eligibility of Vandebilt guard Jewel Triggs, the Lady Terriers’ girls’ basketball team showed up to Southeastern Louisiana University thinking that they would play St. Michael in the LHSAA Class 4A State Semifinals. But after a Baton Rouge Appeals Court judge reversed a prior decision made in a Houma courtroom, Triggs was ruled ineligible and Vandebilt was kicked out of the playoffs while warming up for their Semifinals game. Vandebilt’s Quarterfinals opponent, Salmen, played in the Lady Terriers’ place and ended up winning the Class 4A State Championship. The Lady Terriers’ players didn’t see the game, and immediately headed back to Houma on their team bus. Dry eyes on the team’s bus were hard to find as the team’s seniors struggled to cope with the reality that their prep careers had ended. In the aftermath of the very public situation, Vandebilt administration made the decision to let go of coach Kathy Luke after more than 25 years with the program. Luke quickly landed on her feet and was hired by Riverside Academy this past spring. Without Luke, the Lady Terriers have struggled. Through nine games in 2013-14, Vandebilt posted just a 4-5 record under first-year coach Katrell Dixon.

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